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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Meet Meryl Hartstein, the original Bounce Back Woman

I met Meryl Hartstein through Help A Reporter Out (HARO). She was looking for women who could write a piece for her up and coming anthology about Bounce Back Women. Since I certainly could relate to that subject, I answered immediately. Since then she has become my Facebook friend and fan, and I follow her on her Facebook page called Bounce Back Women. I have been a member of this group for about a year. Here is how Meryl describes her Bounce Back Women group:

"This is a group for women who have "bounced back" from unimaginable adversities and have managed to live full successful lives! We are Mothers, Sport Heroes, Corporate CEOs, Doctors, Authors, Entertainers etc. Our one common thread is that we are extremely resilient. We are "Bounce Back Women"!!

I am pleased Meryl chose to write about aging - a subject near and dear to my heart. My next goal is to meet with her sometime soon on her home turf, New York City, so we can talk about it in person.

Growing Young

by Meryl Hartstein

Yes, the times they are a-changing. As far back as I could remember, I
have been working on staying young. There were a few exceptions when I wanted
to be older. One summer I was in Cape Cod with my parents and a friend. I was
only 15. We met some boys who were older and I had to lie about my age. I also
remember crossing the border from New Jersey into New York to go to a bar at
16. The drinking age was 18 at the time in New York. Most of the time, no one
there got proofed (or like they say today, carded).

At the old age of 13, I started using moisturizer in hopes of
preventing wrinkles. I would instinctively wear sunglasses all of the time in
the summer. Protection was my only weapon.

My working out obsession also started young. This was before Jane Fonda
was anything more than an actress and an activist. There weren't any videos to
watch or any gyms available to us. My routine was strictly calisthenics,
learned in gym class along with a little hula-hoop thrown in for fun.

I would read everything I could on the movie stars' secrets to looking
young. I was more familiar with the names of cosmetic products than the names
of the presidents. This didn't help when it came to taking tests.

As I grew older, the gadget-buying began. I had things called the Dermal
Tone, Derma New, Derma Wand, Face Flex, Face Master, Rejuvinique, just to name
a few. Each one came with some benefit but ultimately, none were the fountain
of youth.

Fast-forward to the present. This is what I believe to be true. Aging
is not a horrible affliction that is waiting to turn us into ugly, hideous
people. It's a process of nature, something we will all have the honor of going
through. It's a blessing. It's also a state of mind. We all have to age but we
all don't have to grow old. Just as cats are believed to have nine lives, so
can humans, and a lot more, if they so choose. We can reinvent and redefine who
we want to be as many times as needed. We can change our looks, passions,
causes and careers as we wish. We can expand our quality of living by making
positive changes in our diets, exercise and emotional spirit. We are not
limited. We can avoid surgeries with alternate methods.

Women are not scowled upon if they have long hair past 50. They can
even keep up with the trends in fashions just like the women half their age. We
are graced with the options of cosmetic surgeries and procedures to keep us
feeling good about ourselves.

We no longer have to feel a stigma regarding aging. We should not fear
it but embrace it. We cannot change it but we can celebrate it. We are forever
growing young.

Meryl's bio

Meryl is a published author, strategic life and relationship coach, celebrity
confidence expert, guest speaker, founder of “Bounce Back Women” a not-for- profit organization. Her list of accomplishments also include:

Blogtalk Radio Show: Bounce Back Women

Books: “Shine” Confidence for Women,
Internally, Externally, Eternally (To be released in the fall)

In development: “Bounce Back Women” Stories of
overcoming adversity. Comprised of stories from Celebrities, Olympians and
other powerful women.

National Association of Memoir Writers

About Me

Madeline SharplesI’ve worked most of my professional life as a technical writer, grant writer, and proposal process manager and began writing poetry, essays, and creative non-fiction when my oldest son, Paul, was diagnosed as manic depressive. I continued writing as a way to heal since his death by suicide in 1999. My memoir, "Leaving the Hall Light On," first released on Mother's Day 2011 in hard cover, is about living with my son's bipolar disorder and surviving his suicide. My publisher, Dream of Things, is launching a paperback edition in July 2012 and an eBook in August 2012. I also co-edited Volumes 1 and 2 of "The Great American Poetry Show," a poetry anthology, and wrote the poems for two books of photography, "The Emerging Goddess" and "Intimacy." Besides having many poems published in print and online magazines, I write regularly for several websites: Naturally Savvy, PsychAlive, Open to Hope,and Journeys Through Grief and occasionally for The Huffington Post. I maintain two blogs: Choices and at Red Room.